The prior art is replete with various remote control units adapted to communicate with a host of different control devices including televisions, VCRs and audio equipment. Depending on the application for the remote control unit, common functional capabilities may include On/Off, volume control, and selection control, e.g., channel or music track selection, fast forward, rewind, scan, etc. With regard to remote control of audio equipment, it is many times desirable to have the ability to make content related selections from a music collection stored in a jukebox type device. Such a device may, for example, take the form of a compact disc (CD ROM) player having multiple disc storage capability.
Compact discs and other recording mediums, however, have some significant disadvantages in regard to the remote access of content information. For one, current recording technologies do not normally include the ability to register the content of the information stored thereon prior to selection at the player. In other words, in order to gain any information regarding the contents of a particular music selection, that selection will first have to be manually selected at the player or by remote. In the alternative, some music players may be manually programmed to play certain selections based upon user input wherein the selections can then be remotely activated.
In either circumstance, there is no way to automatically search and play music by category, for example, by artist, music type, etc., unless a user has prior knowledge with regard to the selection. Such knowledge must include at a minimum the precise location of a selection on the recording medium, a way in which to direct the player apparatus to that location, and a searchable index keyed to the selection and the locations. Largely because of limitations in the recording media, many of these functions cannot be accomplished cost effectively or efficiently at the player, and certainly not from a remote control.
An emerging technological innovation for the recording of consumer directed audio is the storage of pre-recorded audio on a medium known as semiconductor music chips. Digital data stored on the music chips is accessed by means of a solid state audio player having a digital signal processor which converts the stored digital data into audio signals. Up until recently the storage of digital data for reproduction of popular music albums on a single semiconductor chip was not viable because of the amount of memory needed and the costs associated with same. As data compression techniques have further developed, however, the storage of full length albums on modestly sized semiconductor chips has become a reality. The storage of music selections on semiconductor music chips allows for greater flexibility as to the type of information that can be stored and also in the manner in which such information is accessed. For example, content information by way of music category and artist may be stored within the semiconductor music chips and then accessed at the player so that general music selections can be made without prior knowledge by a user. The ability to perform remote selections based on general content information greatly enhances the attractiveness of a solid state music system using the semiconductor chip music storage medium.
It is therefore an object of the present invention, to provide a remote control unit for an audio system wherein general content and selection information from the recording medium are readily available for remote selection by a user. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a remote control unit wherein the selection information available at the remote is easily updated.